State approves plan for Ridgeland Middle School

The state Board of Education this week approved Ridgeland Middle School’s plan for improvement and will continue to provide state assistance.

Ridgeland’s plan had a recommendation from State Superintendent Mick Zais. Seven of the state’s lowest-performing schools made presentations to the board in Columbia on Wednesday.

“It’s a victory for the children,” said Vashti Washington, Jasper County School District superintendent. “If I left tomorrow, I’d feel good about what I proposed on paper, and now we have to put to action what’s on paper.”

Washington said key elements in the proposal were: Advanced courses for students; a plan for a full honors program for the middle school; and math and reading intervention programs.

She believes in principal Jeanie Jefferson.

“She’s worked hard,” Washington said. “She’s very personable with the kids and young and energetic.”

After listening to Ridgeland Middle School’s plan to improve, which was broadcast live on the state department’s website Wednesday, Zais noted salaries for Jasper County School District’s administrators were much higher than principals and said administrators have far less influence on children than principals. He suggested Jasper County’s school board and the superintendent “take a hard look” at how money is being spent.

According to the 2011 state report card, for five consecutive years Ridgeland Middle School’s absolute rating has been at-risk. Its growth rating did improve in 2011 from below average to average. It narrowly missed adequate yearly progress in 2010-11.

The school will combine with Hardeeville in August.

The seven schools being reviewed by the board were faced with having the state take over management of the school, having their principal replaced or the state would provide technical assistance.

In discussing the options, Zais said it would be unfair to appoint a principal because it is unlikely a principal would receive the necessary district, board and community support to make definitive change.

Zais said he believes there should be an option to transfer failing schools to a special statewide school district.

In speaking about the proposed school district, Zais noted such a district in Louisiana, which is called the Recovery School District. Tennessee also has such a district, called the Achievement School District.

According to Zais, those statewide school districts are separate from state education agencies and state boards of education. The mission is to turn around failing schools.

As part of his proposal to modernize the Education Accountability Act, Zais plans to propose the creation of a new statewide school district, separate from the Department of Education, in an effort to turn around the state’s failing schools.

The new district won’t need new taxpayer dollars, Zais said.

“We will repurpose existing funds to the new turnaround district,” he said. “The failing schools will be funded as they are today, with a mixture of local, state, and federal dollars. But the local school boards and local administrators who have failed these schools and their children won’t have control over them. The turnaround district will provide oversight of the schools, but the schools will be operated much like public charter schools. They will be held to the same state and federal accountability standards, but have the flexibility to innovate to meet the needs of their students.”

Zais plans to finalize the proposal this fall.

Other planned parts of the new Education Accountability Act include letter grades for schools and school districts.

“In any organization, for people to be committed and involved they have must ownership and responsibility for outcomes,” Zais said. “That’s why public charter schools hold so much promise: students and parents have a large degree of ownership and responsibility for the success of the school.

“This turnaround district will give parents and students trapped in a failing school the opportunity to transform their school. They won’t have to wait for new leadership in their district office or wait for the election of new school board members. They will be empowered to make the changes needed to meet their unique requirements.”

Zais wished to recommend that the seven failing schools join the turnaround district, but state law doesn’t give him or the state Board of Education that option.

“But just because it isn’t an option today doesn’t mean it can’t be an option tomorrow,” Zais said. “I look forward to working with Governor Haley, the General Assembly, and many stakeholders to make the turnaround district a reality in South Carolina.”

Of Zais’ proposal, Washington said: “Education is one of the entities where it evolves...we won’t know whether it will work until it is put into action.”

In reference to all schools at the meeting, Zais said: “These schools are failing, and failing persistently. And, it’s not the students who are failing in these schools. It’s the adults on the boards, in the districts and in the schools who are failing the children.”